‘Build me a male role model!’ A critical exploration of the perceived qualities/characteristics of men in the early years (0–8) in England

Young boys' ‘underachievement’ and their disaffection with learning continue to dominate education agendas [Francis, B. 2006. “Stop That Sex Drive.” Times Educational Supplement 30; Peeters, J. 2007. “Including Men in Early Childhood Education: Insights from the European Experience.” NZ Research in Early Childhood Education, 10. Accessed February 4, 2013. http://stop4-7.be/files/janpeeters10.pdf; Lloyd, T. 2009. Boys’ Underachievement: What Schools Think and Do. A University of Ulster Research Project Funded by the Department of Education and Northern Ireland Office. November. Accessed January 10, 2014. http://www.socsci.ulster.ac.uk/sociology/research/y%20publications/Boys%20underachievement.pdf; Lloyd, T. 2011. Boys’ Underachievement in Schools: Literature Review. Boys Development Project. Belfast: Centre for Young Men's Studies, Ulster University. Accessed February 4, 2013. http://www.boysdevelopmentproject.org.uk/downloads/reports/Boys%20and%20underachievement%20literature%20review%20edited%20in%20pdf.pdf]. In recent years, there has been an eruption of government policy making and public discourse in England [Moran, L. 2011. Quarter of All Primary Schools Have No Male Teachers Despite More Men Entering Profession. Daily Mail, September 2. Accessed February 4, 2013. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2032970/Quarter-primary-schools-NO-male-teachers-despite-men-entering-profession.html#ixzz2JwpQjSL8; DfE (Department for Education). 2012b. Poor White Boys ‘Lagging Behind Classmates at Age Five’. The Telegraph, November 21. Accessed January 10, 2014. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9693409/Poor-white-boys-lagging-behind-classmates-at-age-five.html; PARITY. 2013. Is Action Overdue on Boys’ Academic Underachievement? Briefing Paper, March. Accessed January 10, 2014. http://www.parity-uk.org/Briefing/BoysEducPaperRev1b.pdf] calling for more men to transform young lives by working in the 0–8 sector and acting as male role models in an attempt to narrow the ‘attainment gap’. This paper critically explores the perceived qualities/characteristics of men who seemingly serve as ‘male role models’ by reporting on select doctoral research findings which sought to investigate the ambiguities of the male role model from the perspective of men who work in the 0–8 sector. Research participants were asked to identify the qualities/characteristics that they felt ‘male role models’ should exhibit for young boys in the early years (0–8). The qualities/characteristics identified were categorised by research participants as being ‘masculine’ (e.g. diplomatic), ‘feminine’ (e.g. caring) or ‘natural’ (meaning authentic). Whilst research evidence suggests that male role models will present a diverse range of personal and professional qualities/characteristics, it is argued that these are likely to be shaped by not only the needs and circumstances of the children that the ‘male role model’ comes into contact with, but also the expectations of others, e.g. parents/carers and staff. This paper argues that there is a real tension between those qualities/characteristics of the male role model that are created as a result of their personality/individual beliefs and those which are anticipated or enforced by others.     

Parents' experiences of support: co-constructing their stories

The aim of this paper is to present a way of supporting parents that can lead to positive outcomes for families. The findings and processes from a study in England of six parents' experiences of support services for their young children with special needs are discussed in making the case that co-constructing the stories of parent and researcher experiences can become a valuable conduit for improving support. An ethnographic case study approach with narrative analysis was used, and this paper shows how the parents' narratives, interwoven with the reflections of the researcher/early years professional, suggest engaged listening as a way forward for professionals and parents (as well as researchers) to understand each other. Stories that each party is fearful of telling or hearing illustrate the balance of fragility and resilience in their assumptions and relationships.     

豫西南方言研究三十年

南阳市地处豫西南,文章的豫西南方言指除桐柏方言以外的南阳方言。1982—2012三十年间豫西南方言的研究成果主要包括方言著作4部、研究论文50余篇,成果不菲。前二十年的研究,涉及南阳市辖区内方言的内部分区、语音、词汇和语法等内容,研究主要聚焦在普—方的对比上和服务于推广普通话的层面上。后10年的代表成果是30篇论文,研究呈现新趋势,既注重内部差异的探求,也注重多角度比较。     

近十年我国老年闲暇教育研究述评

随着老龄化社会的到来和闲暇教育的不断发展,老年闲暇教育引起越来越多学者的关注,出现了一批研究成果。这些研究成果包括对老年闲暇教育基础理论、区域实践、不同载体、存在的问题和对策建议等,为老年闲暇教育的深化研究奠定了一定的基础。揭示老年闲暇教育研究未能形成独立学科体系、理论研究薄弱、学科交叉研究不足和研究者来源复杂、水平不一等问题,并提出相应的解决对策,对其形成独立理论框架和提升研究质量具有重要的意义。     

明代钱塘状元茅瓒生卒年考

明代钱塘状元茅瓒的生年应为正德四年（1509年）,卒年应为嘉靖四十五年（1566年）。     

Documentation: A Hard to Reach Place

Some educators experience difficulty documenting young children’s work in early childhood settings because of a limited understanding of the importance of documentation, what or how to document, and the effective use of documentation; limited resources (time, tools, and assistance); or predetermined curricular guidelines. Some teachers, especially inexperienced early years teachers, have trouble engaging with children and documenting simultaneously, revealing a crucial misunderstanding about the purpose of documenting. Teachers at Reggio Emilia-inspired schools throughout the United States use many forms of documentation to enhance the qualities of children’s experiences in preschool classrooms. This article addresses the dilemmas teachers face in implementing documentation in order to assist them as they move from standards-based teaching and teacher-determined content to a more constructivist approach to teaching. Ideas for using documentation shared by the authors will allow young children to construct their own knowledge and curiosity, making learning more meaningful to them and more visible to others.

Developing Timorese early years teachers’ pedagogy through an Australian mentoring programme

This paper explores the successful mentoring of Timor-Leste early years teachers by Australian teachers to expand their knowledge and practice of child-centred play-based pedagogy. The mentoring programme for the Timorese teachers occurred through an extended visit to a school in Victoria, Australia, for eight weeks to work with mentor teachers in their early years classrooms. Data were collected to explore the effectiveness of the programme through classroom observations and participant interviews. Observations were conducted in the classrooms of the mentees before the programme to provide context for the interviews and after the programme for indications of pedagogical change. The mentoring programme supported the Timorese teachers to reflect and review early years pedagogy. It led to changes in their teaching philosophy, design of learning activities and the inclusion of assessment practices. After two years the Timor-Leste teachers were using a child-centred play-based model of teaching and learning to guide the development, organisation and facilitation of learning activities at their kindergarten. The foundation of the mentor programme’s success was the trusted and equitable relationships between the teachers and the organisations involved. Understanding of cultural differences was acknowledged and supported the robust discussions and reflections that empowered teachers to take action.     

改革开放四十年来我国体育法学科建设回顾与展望

通过文献、数据收集研究,发现我国体育法学科建设在改革开放这40年中虽然逐渐从无到有,推陈出新,但仍未形成规模化、体系化的普及开设态势。经过实际调研进一步验证,在新时代背景下,大部分法学专业类院校并未开设体育法课程,开设的主力军仍在各体育专业院校,这便影响了体育法治教育的专业化普及。体育法学科建设中还存在基础理论有待普及、学科开设普遍性不强等缺陷。未来需加强普及体育法学科基础理论教育,依托体育法研究中心基地的建设推进各大院校体育法学科建设范围,再辅之完善体育法本、硕、博学科合理建设,重视自下而上的学科建设模式,进而推进我国体育法学科建设趋向完善。     

改革开放30年中国高等教育思想的转变

改革开放30年来,中国高等教育所取得的伟大成就,莫过于思想的解放、观念的变革,因为每一项成就都离不开高等教育思想的指导。30年来中国高等教育思想的发展变化,涵盖了高等教育思想体系的方方面面,影响最为深刻的是高等教育价值观、高等教育发展观和高等教育质量观等方面的变化。     

中国改革开放三十年的伟大历史功绩和宝贵经验

以1978年12月党的十一届三中全会为开端的中国改革开放大业已经30年了。30年在历史的长河中虽然是“弹指一挥间”,但毋庸置疑的是,中国的改革开放取得了举世瞩目的成就,中国社会发生了翻天覆地的变化。今天,回顾总结过去是为了在新的历史起点上更进一步坚持改革开放。30年的改革开放,不仅取得了如下伟大历史功绩,中国的面貌、中国与世界的关系发生了历史性变化;开辟了一条有中国特色的社会主义道路;催生了中国特色社会主义理论体系,而且在实践中创造积累了宝贵的经验,党的十七大报告将这些宝贵经验言简意赅地总结为“十个结合”。